Cass – 7th to 9th July 2017

Cass – 7th to 9th July 2017

Cass – Mid winter with Jane – 7th to 9th July 2017

Cass Trip Report by Jane

25 of us made the annual trip to Cass for Mid-Winter Christmas. Several of us met up in Springfield for lunch and a coffee en route. Refuelled, we continued on to Castle Hill where we spent the next couple of hours clambering around the rocks and making images. On to Lake Pearson, which was like a mirror and the reflections were stunning, finally arriving at our accommodation at 3.30pm.

We weren’t expecting a great day on Saturday, but were delighted to wake to a cold foggy morning and quickly set off for what turned out to be a spectacular two hours on the shores of Lake Pearson. From here, we did our usual NPS thing and headed off in different directions for a while.

A group of us went on to Bushy Stream, Mt White Station. The icicles were aplenty and we spent some time there before realising we were cold and hungry, so drove to Arthur’s Pass for coffee and lunch. There were no Kea to be seen up at the Pass, so we walked into the Bealey Chasm. By this time it had clouded over and was breezy and time was getting on, so we returned to base for hot showers, snacks and pre-dinner drinks.

A fabulous array of dishes was offered and we all had more than enough to eat for our Mid-Winter Christmas Dinner, complete with Christmas tree, fairy lights, open fire, and Glogg (mulled wine). After dinner, Santa delivered a heavy sack of gifts. A game of Greedy Santa, where you can steal each other’s gifts was played, where a jar of honey, and a photography cleaning kit proved most popular.

Sunday morning provided more fog, but not quite the frost as Saturday. After returning to clean and lock up the Cass Field Station, a few carloads went back to Arthur’s Pass for coffee and a snack, and then walked the Bridal Veil track, which was beautiful, and we spent about three hours meandering along and making images.